


A Sister Between Gangs

by screamingfangirlo0o



Category: Romeo And Juliet - All Media Types, Romeo And Juliet - Shakespeare, West Side Story (1961), West Side Story (2019), West Side Story (2020)
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:27:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21875899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/screamingfangirlo0o/pseuds/screamingfangirlo0o
Summary: Jade is a girl with a past no one deserves. She's a member of the Sharks and no one touches Bernardo's little sister, except for one particular gang leader. And what happens when someone from her past happens to show up.ROUGHLY BASED ON 2019/2020 BROADWAY REVIVALALL SPANISH BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOOGLE TRANSLATE
Relationships: Anita/Bernardo (West Side Story), Maria/Tony (West Side Story), Riff/Oc
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

“Lower Anita lower,” Jade rolled her eyes at the girls persistence,   
“I think it looks beautiful Anita”   
“Gracias Jade,” Anita had shown Jade her dress earlier, it was a gorgeous burgundy mesh dress that fell just above her knees and hugged her perfectly at the top before flowing out at the bottom. The neckline exposed not too much, but it was enough she was sure she’d get an earful from Bernardo about how it showed too much to the other boys. Jade excused herself and swiped a pack of cigarettes left on a table before moving outside.   
“It’s dangerous for a pretty girl like you to hanging around here,” a voice broke her out of her thoughts as her eyes met those of a boy a bit older than her, her eyes soon found what she knew was a Jet tattoo on his shoulder before her gaze moved back to his face,  
“I know perfectly well where I am, Señor”  
“A shark’s girl I see, let me tell you, a girl like you deserves much better,”  
“That’s where you’re wrong,” the girl dropped her cigarette and pulled down the neckline of her shirt to show the ink on her collarbone, ‘Property of the Sharks’ with a shark with an open mouth underneath. Only the Shark members had tattoos, not the Shark’s girls, it was too permanent for girlfriends to get in case something happened.   
“Scram,” the girl spat taking a step forward towards him, “you’re on our territory”   
“And what will you do,” Jade raised an eyebrow and pushed herself off the wall behind her, she was shorter than the man, but that didn’t phase her in the least as she strolled up to him until they were only inches apart,   
“Well I might do this,” she wrapped her arms around his neck as if she were going to kiss him. Smiling a bit to herself at the confused expression on his face she used the grip she had around him to bring his face down, bringing her knee up at the same time, he let out a grunt and stumbled back causing her to advance on him again, he tried to use his height as an advantage, aiming higher on her, but she had dealt with too many people taller than her 5’1 self. She brought her knee up again this time hitting his groin, causing him to jerk down which gave her an opportunity to swing her fist to meet his cheek. Jade had managed to avoid getting hit by him, until a yell caught her attention, causing her to turn to see Bernardo running towards her. It was as her eyes met his that she felt a sharp impact on her face and felt the skin on her lip breaking.   
“tú cabrón!” Bernardo yelled as she stumbled back, within seconds she was grabbed and pulled behind Bernardo, as he landed a punch on the man that sent him to the ground, “Gee-Tar, if I find you on our territory again I won’t be so nice, especially if you try anything with my baby sister” Bernardo cracked his knuckles as the man cowered back and scrambled to get up and run away, “Jade-”  
“He was on our teritory Ber,”  
“I was going to say how proud I am of you,” her face lit up. He seemed to always reprimand her for getting into fights, “But what have I taught you about getting distracted,”  
“Not to” she giggled and he gently wiped underneath her lip,   
“Let's get you cleaned up,” he swung an arm around the girl and guided her back to the bridal shop,   
“Jade what happened,” she heard Anita shriek as she walked in,   
“Nothing, a Jet was on our territory, you should’ve seen him though,” she laughed and Anita shook her head,   
“Get your dress on Jade, thank God it’s red,” the two laughed as Anita handed her the dress and shooed her off to the bathroom. When she walked out she saw Chino holding Maria’s shoulder,   
“te ves hermosa hermana” Maria spoke softly as the girl spun around in her dress,   
“Come, come” Anita patted a seat in front of her for Jade to sit down in and started working on her hair. Jade was beyond excited, it was the first dance that Bernardo had let her attend. He had been extremely strict with her ever since they met and had made her stay inside most of the day, being homeschooled by Anita and himself, and only letting her come outside when she was with the gang, but once she turned 16 he let her do more and more, going out by herself, and going to events such as the dance. Anita pulled her curls up into a bun before doing her makeup.   
“Perfección” she smiled once she was done  
“Gracias Anita,” she glanced at herself in the mirror, Anita had given her a bold red lip in an attempt to mask the cut in the middle of it and light eyeshadow with a sleek wing. Despite the work Anita had done, she frowned, she looked too much like them. Her pale skin was a contrast from those around her and her eyes, they reminded her too much of what she wished she could forget,  
“What’s wrong princessa?” Bernardo, who had noticed her expression while kissing the top of his girlfriend’s head, asked worriedly.  
“I look like them,” she whispered but she knew he could hear her,  
“ Jade, you can’t change who you look like, and you are beautiful. When I look at you you know what I see? I see a strong, beautiful, amazing woman who isn’t defined by her genes or her DNA,” He kissed her head gently. A slight smile spread across her face as she glanced at him,   
“Thanks Ber”  
“Come, get your shoes on, we have a dance to attend”

“Since when has Bernardo had two sisters?” A bruised boy stumbled into the store where his friends were,   
“What’re you talking about Gee-Tar, he only has one, Maria, what happened to you?”  
“I was in PR territory, and I saw some girl, she looked like us, I told her she shouldn’t be hanging round there, turns out she was a shark. Bernardo’s baby sister to be exact,”  
“Why would you go up to Maria,”  
“It wasn’t Maria, she didn’t look like him at all,”  
“You got beat up by a girl?”  
“Well, not completely,”


	2. Chapter 2

Jade smiled as she walked next to Maria, “You’re going to love it Jade,”  
“Besides the Jets,” Bernardo added from in front of her as the approached the gym door. Bernardo was the first in and Jade could hear the chatter in the room quiet as they all entered. Jade scanned the crowd of people at the opposite side of the gym. Jets. She hated them. They seemed to oppose anything her family ever did without fail just because of where they were from. Jade had danced with Maria and Bernardo each several times and was dancing with Anita when she heard someone behind her shout causing her to jump,   
“Tony,” her eyes fell upon a man walking in and she froze,   
“Jade? Jade? What is it?” Anita eyes fell upon the man who had entered as the girl across from her backed up,  
“Anita I want to go home,” she tried to pull her hands out of her friend’s grasp but Anita caught her wrists  
“What is it Jade. Look at me, what is it, who is he?” Anita saw pure fear in her younger friend’s eyes as she shook her head, “do you want me to get Bernardo,”   
“Just let me go home,”  
“I’m not letting a jet ruin this Jade,”   
“Anita-”  
“No, I’m getting Bernardo,” as Anita left, Jade darted for the door,   
“Jade,” she turned to look at Maria who had called her and felt herself run into someone,   
“Watch it,” a voice she recognized as the boy she had beat up earlier snapped and she looked up to meet his eyes, “are you going to run off and get your brother this time,” he taunted and her glance turned into a glare.   
“I thought I taught you a lesson earlier” she growled and grabbed his shirt, in a motion he shoved her back, she rebounded swinging up at his face hitting his face up sharply,  
“You bitch,” he shouted as he held his face, lunging forward. The jets were the first to notice the conflict and, seeing that there were officers there, moved to grab the two. Tony went to grab Gee-Tar and Riff went for the younger girl. Riff grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards, the two of them freezing when their eyes met. As Jade stared back into his deep blue eyes she felt something inside of her shift. Normally she would’ve swung at this man too but she couldn’t break his gaze. There was something about him that fascinated her. She broke out of this trance like state by a strong hand pulling her into his chest,  
“Riff get your dirty hands off of her,” she heard Bernardo spit as she turned around again. Riff. her heart sank. Riff the head of the Jets. Riff, the man who fascinated her, the one who enteranced her, was the very person who she hated with all her soul.   
“Jade,” she heard a voice whisper and she backed into Bernardo, “Jade,” the voice repeated louder and she refused to look at him although she saw him moving through the crowd.   
“And you,” Bernardo turned to Gee-tar, “What did I say about touching my sister,” Jade watched him stop and could feel his stare on her. Her eyes met back with Riff who was looking at her incredulously.   
“Your sister” one of the men asked jokingly,  
“You heard what I said,” Bernardo responded seriously,   
“Hey, hey, hey, break it up kids, we’re going to do a bonding activity” Jade heard, but nothing after because she met eyes with him. His eyes were the same as hers, dark brown, but behind his there was something she couldn’t read. Guilt? Pity? She didn’t want any of it, he was in her past, and she burned the bridge to her past years ago. She broke his gaze,   
“You wanna do this sis?” Bernardo asked her smiling gently,   
“Nah, do you have a pack, I need a smoke,” Bernardo rolled his eyes before handing her a pack and lighter he kept in his pocket.   
“Do you want me to come?”  
“I need some time alone” he nodded and walked back to where everyone was gathering and letting her walk outside, Jade was lighting her cigarette when she saw someone else walk outside,   
“Shouldn’t you be inside?” she asked looking out at the street and not at him,   
“Shouldn’t you?” his voice too, it was captivating,   
“Fair,” she turned to meet his blue eyes again,  
“What do you want?”  
“Can’t a boy come out for some fresh air,”  
“Cut the bullshit, why did you come out here?”  
“I’m curious”  
“Curious about?”  
“You.” she didn’t know why but the answer sent chills down her spine,   
“What do you want to know” she shouldn’t be talking to him, she hated him, and yet, she didn’t  
“What do you want to tell,” she shrugged, “So you’re Bernardo’s sister?”  
“Yeah, and?”  
“I’ve never heard of you before, why?”  
“He’s kept me pretty sheltered,”  
“You don’t look anything like him,”  
“Do all families look alike,” she broke his gaze, focusing on a lightpost behind him,   
“Most share similarities,”  
“Who says family is defined by looks,”  
“Alright,” he conceded, and before he asked again she spoke,   
“My turn, how old are you?”  
“17, you?”  
“16, what’s your favorite color?” he laughed. Her heart fluttered,  
“Blue,”  
“Green,” the conversation fell silent. Riff moved closer,   
“You’re not like them,”  
“What” she snapped defensively,  
“You didn’t hate me for what I’ve done” he said softly,   
“Who you are isn’t always what you’ve done,”  
“When can I see you again” that caught her attention, she smiled slightly, it wasn’t good, letting her guard down was something she had taught herself not to do, especially not around a jet, and especially not around the leader of the jets,   
“Tomorrow, 8pm” she whispered moving towards him and placing her hands on his chest, “where should I meet you?”  
“I’ll come to the edge of your territory,”  
“Are you sure? It’s dangerou-” Jade was cut off by his lips on her,   
“Who says that I’m worried about danger,” she smiled before reaching up to kiss him again, their lips moved in sync and while a part of her was telling her this was so wrong, she couldn’t stop herself. A throat being cleared caused them to pull back,   
“Jay” the voice echoed and Riff didn’t miss the way her manner became guarded again at his friend’s voice,   
“Jade” she snapped, “Sí?” she turned to face him and gave him a cold glare, he opened his mouth but then closed it again, switching his gaze to his best friend and walking to him, allowing her to slip past him back into the gym,


	3. Chapter 3

Jade walked as briskly as she could to get to the edge of her territory, it had taken her longer than she had hoped to get off of work and she was praying no one had seen him. Thoughts rushed through her head telling her it was a trap or he would show her up but they faded when she saw his figure resting against a building.   
“Riff,” she called softly and his head turned towards her, a small smile spreading across his face,  
“I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show”  
“I’m sorry, Maria was talking my head off,” she giggled and he opened his arms to her,   
“Where do you want to go,” she shrugged and he smiled more, “then I have an idea” he took off running and she couldn’t help but laugh at his childlike ways as he dragged her through neutral territory until he reached an alleyway, once he had almost reached the opposite end, he started climbing up the ladder that was embedded in the concrete. When she reached the top she saw that the roof had a large structure in the middle but around it was free space for people to walk and benches to sit. Riff was standing, leaning against the railing on the opposite side, looking out on the city, Jade walked up behind him. As he heard her approach he turned, wrapping his arms around her waist and positioning her in front of him so she could look out on the same view as him. The two stayed silent for a few minutes, enjoying the time in each other’s company. Jade felt safe. She didn’t like it. Something had to go wrong. Nobody but her family could care about her in this way. But him. Riff rested his chin on her head. He was something, something different. He wasn’t what people made him out to be. He wasn’t a monster, he was human too. A sound interrupted her thoughts. She recognized the voice, a Jet. She looked up at Riff and he motioned for her to hide on the other side of the structure. She crouched down and listened to the conversation,   
“Riff” the voice spoke,   
“Action, what’s up”  
“The rumble is on, tonight, under the highway.” Jade felt her heart drop. How could she have forgotten, she should’ve been with her brother scheduling it.   
“Good, we’ll show them whos the greatest” her heart dropped. He wasn’t any different,  
“What’re you doing up here anyway?”  
“I needed some time to think, I’ll see you in a few” she heard a bit of motion before she heard someone leaving down the stairs, “you can come out,” she stood up again   
“I have to go-”  
“Please, don’t go tonight,”  
“Riff”  
“Jade.” he took a step towards her, “You’re not going tonight,”  
“Who do you think I am,”  
“Listen to me Jade,”  
“No,” she snapped. She should’ve known, this was just a plot to get her not to go to the rumble, he had never cared, he was exactly who she once thought he was. Actually, he was worse, “I don’t care what you want me to do,”  
“Jade please”  
“It’s funny you think I’d actually care what you have to say?” my family is my family and you’re a complete fool if you think I won't be by their side because of what some Jet says,”  
“Jade please I care about you,”  
“I care about my family.”  
“Jade,” he grabbed her hands, “please,” she yanked her hands back. A slap echoed. She shook her hand gently. The two eyes connected. She wished she hadn’t. Anger, guilt, betrayal.  
“I’ll see you tonight,” she spat.

“What’re we using,” Jade strolled into her house, “Knives? Guns?”  
“Fists,” her head snapped up as Bernardo answered her,  
“The best fighter from each gang,” a small smile fell upon her face,   
“Pepe already agreed” she let out a laugh,  
“I had him on the ground in a minute,”  
“I’m not making you fight sis”  
“What if I want to,” she turned to him and he stared back at her. He would’ve protested, but by the look in her eyes he knew she wouldn’t take no for an answer, “I’m changing,,” she said turning on her heel, as she disappeared upstairs Bernardo spoke again  
“The knife?”  
“If we have a knife, they’ll have one too, I’m not taking that risk with her,”  
Upstairs Jade slipped on her boots. She had put on her sports bra and leggings, she didn’t want anything impairing her movement, especially when her gang was relying on it. But she didn’t trust them, they played dirty. She would too. She slid it into the pocket of her leggings before typing a flannel around her waist to hide it. She then walked to her desk. She was one of the only members of the gang who had actually been trained in fighting, when she was younger and was more sheltered one of the only times they let her go outside was to her fighting lessons. Bernardo had insisted she get them, because of her past, it helped her, she was constantly scared and whenever he wasn’t with her she felt vulnerable, that’s why he sent her to first self defense classes, then to the other classes to learn how to fight. She had stopped a year or so prior, but she still had the best form and technique of any of the men, not to mention she fought dirty. She picked up her wraps and wrapped both of her hands before making her way downstairs. She came down to see all the gang piled into the kitchen, she gasped at a familiar man standing with them, “Jose!” she ran down the stairs and enveloped the man in a hug. Chinos younger brother had left several months before, to go back to Puerto Rico, but he had returned,  
“Princesa,” he paused, “you don’t have to fight, I’m just as good-”  
“I’m better” she finished and he shook his head.


End file.
